Pancakes were good, Zeph decided. Especially with blueberries in them. They were fluffy and syrupy and warm, and they made him feel...happy. Or maybe it was contentment, he wasn't sure. It was goodness all the same. After nightmares the night before, these would make him feel a little better, he thought. He looked around as he ate breakfast, most everyone similarly engrossed in their breakfast.

Cloud, from what he could see behind Denzel, was chowing down on them quickly, as if he had never eaten before. His forearm sat on the table and he was leaned over his plate, shoveling slices of pancake into his mouth. Zeph wondered if he was even chewing until the warrior coughed and then took a large gulp of coffee to wash down whatever was stuck in his throat. Zeph glanced at Tifa, who held a worried expression on her face as she swallowed her mouthful.

"I'm fine," Cloud rasped before continuing on with his pancakes.

Zeph heard Denzel snicker next to him. He supposed this was another thing to get used to, Cloud almost swallowing his pancakes whole. He went back to his plate and returned to eating them.

"Damn, Spiky. You gonna actually taste your pancakes?" Barret chided from his seat.

"Mhm," was Cloud's muffled reply as he quickly ate another mouthful.

Tifa tapped the fingers of her free hand on the table. "Cloud is in a rush, Barret. There's a lot of deliveries today."

"He ain't gonna get nothin' done if he's dead on the floor."

She sighed before slicing into a pancake. "I've stopped him from choking before, and I'm sure I'll do it again in the future."

Cloud made a grunting sound, then stood up. "I better get going," he said before swallowing the rest of his mouthful. He looked a little green to Zeph. "I'll see you guys in the evening."

The warrior left the table, quickly making his way towards the garage as the rest of the family resumed their meal. Nanaki, Zeph noticed, was looking up at the table. "Any plans for today?"

Denzel glanced at him and then back at his plate. "Last day of school."

"So we'll get to hear some new stories later, right Nanaki?" Marlene said.

He chuckled. "Of course."

"Stories?" Zeph asked.

"Nanaki tells us stories about Cosmo Canyon and his time traveling with Cloud, Tifa and Barret," Denzel replied.

Zeph cocked his head. Traveling? He had wondered where they had met such a creature as Nanaki, but the polite opportunity had not made itself available until now. "How did you meet each other?"

There was a brief silence, the sound of clinking silverware the only sound until the bike rumbled to life; the sound slowly disappeared out into the distance. Were they afraid to tell him? Their faces implied it.

"I met everyone in Midgar a little while before Meteorfall," Nanaki began, his voice hesitant. "We traveled to Cosmo Canyon, and afterwards I decided to hang around some more."

"Oh...where was everyone going?"

"We just had business to take care of everywhere!" Tifa chimed with a smile.

Zeph knew that he wasn't being told something, but it probably wasn't important right now. They barely knew each other, and maybe it was personal, he thought. He was young but he wasn't that naive. He nodded, letting the subject drop. "I hope I can hear some of your stories." Whatever kept his mind busy and away from the bad thoughts that fell on him in the night.

Nanaki smiled. "I look forward to reciting some to you."

Eventually Barret went to take the children to school, leaving the bar in Tifa, Nanaki and Zeph's hands. Zeph fidgeted on the bar stool he sat on, watching Tifa work on a barrel she began filling with measured amounts of juice, sugar and some unknown powder. Once in a while the phone would ring upstairs as she worked on her concoction, and she would go answer it.

"I wanna help."

Tifa looked up as she finished her work on the barrel. "You've barely been here two days, Zeph. We thought you might want to acclimate first..."

He shook his head. "I don't have anything to do right now." It didn't help matters that he desperately wanted to pay back their kindness. Maybe he was still getting used to everything, but his mind demanded he be prudent. That was how it had always been, you reciprocated kindness quickly, he thought.

She put a finger to her lower lip, thinking. "Well, how about you clean the tables for me when customers are finished? That'll give you something to do."

Zeph nodded. He liked the sound of that. So, he spent some time with Nanaki upstairs, asking him questions about this or that. Polite questions about the city and the world, feeling it might yet be too soon to ask him about his tail, or if he was more dog than cat or more cat than dog. Then, he came back downstairs as the bar opened.

At first he hung back and watched as people began to come in, ordering this or that from Tifa. Zeph observed her as she brought out drinks and food, or chatted up a customer. Eventually a few customers left, and Tifa nodded at him. "Go ahead."

He took in a sharp breath of air and marched over to the table, a boy on a mission. A mission to show he was useful to this new group of people that for some reason wanted him in their family. Him.

Zeph bit his lip before cautiously taking the empty plates and stacking them on top of one another, then he took the glasses and placed them on top. Carefully, he brought them back behind the counter and to the sink. He looked up at Tifa, who gave him an encouraging smile.

Next, he used the washrag on his arm to clean off the table. He felt satisfied with his work, and looked back at Tifa. She nodded in approval before continuing her work.

The afternoon went on like that, Zeph growing more confident in his busing abilities as Tifa served customers. He noticed Barret had finally come back while lugging a large box up the stairs after taking a moment to speak with Tifa.

He continued on with his work, happy to put himself to use. Eventually he found himself on autopilot, his mind elsewhere; sometimes it was in the present, and other times it fell into the past. It was hard not to think of the past, and it was a struggle to climb out of it. As he bused another table a man nearby enjoyed a chicken leg, albeit in a messy fashion. Zeph glanced at him, then began to stare.

It wasn't as if there was anything wrong with the customer eating as he did, but the gnashing and smacking were so loud in Zeph's ears. It was all he could hear and all he could see were teeth pinching and tearing off delicate strands of flesh as she screamed his name

"Hey."

Zeph looked up to see Barret studying him with his piercing gaze. His large hand came to Zeph's shoulder, and the boy finally realized that he had been trembling. Zeph looked down, and noticed he had dropped the plates and glasses he was carrying; there was glass and ceramic everywhere.

Oh, Gaia.

He couldn't even do a simple job without his mind wandering where it shouldn't be, and now because he couldn't look away from someone eating chicken. Chicken! Zeph wondered what could possibly be wrong with him to start thinking about it while someone ate.

Zeph was certain he would be scolded for this. He woke them up every night he had been here, now he was destroying their livelihood. He blinked back tears, not wanting anyone to notice how on edge he was at that moment. He wanted nothing more but to fade away.

He felt himself being lifted up by Barret, his head resting on his shoulder. That strange metal hand of his gently patted his back before taking him upstairs and back into Cloud's office. Barret placed him on the bed and let Zeph lie down, and the big man held his knees with his hands as he looked down at him.

"You thinkin' about what happened down there before we found you, aren't ya?"

Zeph nodded, sniffling once and trying hard to keep his composure. Was Barret looking at him with disappointment, anger? Maybe he was annoyed. It was a little difficult to tell unless he was totally broadcasting his feelings with his mouth. Maybe it was because he barely knew him.

He was pat on the shoulder. "It'll take a while before it stops botherin' ya every chance it gets."

"There's still more out there," Zeph whispered. More people, children, would die because of them. Things that looked like people so they could get close before snatching loved ones and eating them in the darkness.

Barret's scruffy jaw tightened, and his nostrils flared. "Me and Cloud'll route out those mangy mutts, don't you worry! We ain't gonna have werewolves snatchin' you kids off the street, that's for damn sure!"

Zeph raised his brows. Barret sounded sure of himself. "How're you gonna find them?"

Barret pointed a finger at Nanaki as he stalked into the room, the beast moving his eye from side to side as he was singled out. "He'll help us find those mutts. Every last one of 'em!"

"Barret, I'll have to leave for Cosmo Canyon again soon, you know..."

"While you're here, damn!" He looked at his watch, then grunted. "I gotta pick up the kids. Jes relax here, Zeph." Barret gave the boy a reassuring smile. "Hey, tomorrow me and Spiky are gonna take you around the neighborhood and show you around. Alright?"

Zeph nodded. Outside would be safe with those two next to him. "Is Cloud gonna bring his sword?"

Barret chuckled. "Yeah, he'll bring his big ol' sword." He stood straight and smoothed out his shirt. "I'll be back with the kids soon. Hang tight til then, alright?" Another nod, and it was returned before Barret turned around to head out and down the stairs.

Zeph looked at Nanaki as he walked up to the bed, sitting next to it and flicking his tail softly. He told the red beast of what happened downstairs. For some reason, he intuitively felt he could confide in him. Maybe it was because he looked more like a pet, a creature you could speak to that wouldn't cast judgement on your plight.

"Ah, I heard it as I took a nap. Don't worry, everyone's destroyed their share of plates." Nanaki's nose twitched.

"I...yeah." He had to remember this wasn't his old world, and things were different now. Zeph inhaled deeply, the scent of Tifa's food and the flowers on Cloud's desk quickly becoming a smell he found calming. Maybe it was because he was already familiar with the scent of flowers from a church in the sector next to his that he occasionally sneaked away to when he was younger, hiding away from men and monsters that roamed the seedier roads.

"Do you wish to talk about it?" Nanaki offered.

Zeph let out his lungful of air through his nose. "Maybe later...I think I wanna hear your stories instead." They would be a good distraction.

The beast chuckled. "As soon as the other two make it home. If you would like to rest until then, I will keep watch." With that Nanaki curled up next to the bed, eye on the door.

"Hm." Zeph closed his eyes after rubbing them. He was emotionally exhausted after one little mishap. All because of those things and what they do to people. He thought about Cloud and how he killed Valdt with his giant sword. Maybe they could kill every last one of those shape shifting abominations before anymore lives were ruined.

He lived in a house protected by warriors. Patient warriors. His mind eased some at the thought; maybe he was truly safe here. It felt nice.